Episode 10: The Dating Game

The dating business is estimated to be worth $12 billion worldwide in what is an increasingly competitive market, with more than 300 million active users of the thousands of dating apps out there. Today on the Agenda Podcast we talk to a relationship historian about the potential damage that dating apps could be doing to our relationships.

But first we talk to the founder of Eden Blackman, founder of the app , “Would Like To Meet” about starting his own dating app. He takes us through his thought process in setting up his company and why he feels like user verification is important to the online dating process [01:30]. Eden also tells us why he thinks we’ve been through the first backlash against dating apps and why the stigma of being on a dating app has been removed [02:49]. He also tells us what he thinks is the difference between how men and women use dating apps [03:30]

Dating apps have potentially  changed the way an entire generation approaches romance. Has this change been for the better, or has something been lost in the rush to move dating online? To answer these questions I spoke to relationship historian Zoe Strimpel about how this new form of dating could have unforeseen consequences. 

First Zoe gives us a historical overview of the great changes in romantic relationships and why they aren’t all confined to the online dating era [07:06]. She also explains why the dating apps have brought in “a new era” and how we came to this point [08:44]. Zoe also goes on to explain why dating apps tend to lend themselves to shallow dating encounters and why we have to be careful about the addictive nature of dating apps [11:24].